The Advocate Chapter 2: The Aetherius
Episode Two: Like Hounds Episode Body 2267 CE, Omega Part One The defiled elevator slowly rolled open at the back of a rundown apartment hallway. As Taylor and Sykes stepped inside, they both took a moment to glimpse around the elevator, as well as breath in it's distinct scent. As both the men winced, attempting to deal with the smell, Syke's blurted out, "Smells like a Varren shit covered in burnt, hairs!" Taylor nodded in agreement, "Shit, smells like, that ol' Krogan's apartment, Kin Jo, remember him?" "Oh fuck" Sykes responded, "did you hear what happened him?" "Heard he was in the clinic for awhile, and awhile, is well, awhile for a Krogan." Taylor answered humorously. "Well" Sykes started, "You remember Jacky's sister's brother's ex? The Asari girl?" Taylor nodded slowly with a confused look on his face. "Well, she been involved with an Elcor lately, Xolon, the big fuck who runs the weapon shop, that one club." "There's plenty of those "one clubs" out there" Taylor barked back sarcastically." But yeah, Xolon, helped run the card tables through the station, big time player right?" Sykes nodded and continued "Yup, tha' one, anyways, I guess, he caught wind of what he thought was an affair, right? He thought that Kin Jo was havin' an affair with his mistress. So he went over to Jo's place and had his boys turn the whole place turned inside out." Sykes took a second to look up at the elevator's display, seeing they still had a ways to go until they reached their destination. "Well, unfortunately for them, Jo came home, started a scuffle, big mess, three dead, two injured, and Jo got thrown out a window by Xolon. He lived, but barely, and ironically enough, that Asari girl just set the whole thing up, while Xolon was gone, she cleaned out his bank account and left the station. " "Damn man" Taylor sighed, "Women are evil." "That they are man. There are some messed up people in this galaxy, who do some fucked up shit." Sykes then preceded to load his gun, as did Taylor. "Yep, well, alright" Taylor stated, "How many of these mother fuckers we got up here to dust?" Sykes cleared his throat and coughed out, "Seven...eight? I think?" "Well man what is it, seven or eight?" the human pondered in a frustrated voice. Sykes let back "I don't know man what's it matter?!" "A lot stupid!" Taylor answered, "That maybe eighth guy could have a grenade, or one crazy ass biotic. Or he could be hiding in the closet, and we killed seven people already, think it's clear, he bust out, puts thermal clip in you, I kill them. Then it's on my shoulders to explain how you dumb ass got killed. Understand ginji?" Sykes sighed, "Yeah I guess. I really think there's seven then.." The men looked at the elevator status, they were closing in on the top floor, and the old rickety elevator came to a slow shaky stop. "Here we go" Taylor said under his breath, as the two readied their weapons. Taylor held a modified MS-22 silenced heavy pistol in his hand, while Sykes carried M44 Magna shotgun. The two stepped out into the hallway of the apartment, as they did, a door three doors down from them opened, and a Batarian lighting a cigar stepped out. After lighting it, he raised it to his mouth, taking a hit and blowing out the smoke. Taylor and Sykes stopped in their tracks, raising their weapons. The Batarian looked over, first not noticing them but then double taking. He blurted out "Oh shit!" before the two Talons opened fire on him, gunning him down. "Well, they know we're here now..." Sykes said calmly, the smoke still pouring from their barrels. Taylor nodded and his Turian counterpart pump his shotgun ejecting out a shell. They waited for a moment, expecting to hear the other mercenaries positioning for a fight, instead they were answered by silence, as if no one noticed. "Or maybe not?" Sykes added. With out warning, a hail of gun fire from multiple weapons ripped through the walls towards the two Talons. The two both bolted behind the cover a cooler unit, the bullets ricocheting off of the metal. "Well, big surprise ginger-snap, you're wrong." Taylor uttered in a sarcastic tone. "Cover me!" Taylor placed his right hand down on the ground in sprinter position as a blue biotic aura began to surround him, and he leaped forward off his toes, his biotics propelling him into the room opposite of the two. As he crashed in, the impact rolled Taylor to the floor, chunks of metal and plaster surrounded him. He pushed himself up, debry fell from his head down in front of his face, and he glanced over to notice several Vorcha in shock at a card. "Excuse me" he coughed out, as he stood and faced the other wall, gun shots still echoing outside. "Aria will pay for it." "Hurry the fuck up!" Sykes shouted out through the sounds of the shooting. "I'm working on it!" Taylor reered his arms back, building up biotic energy and blasting into the room of the gunmen. As the haze of fragments cleared, the weapons fire paused for a moment, Taylor caught a view of six more mercenaries, two knocked on the ground by the blast. The other four raised their weapons and opened fire again, not before Taylor unleashed his biotic shielding, blocking the rounds as he dashed behind a run down kitchen counter. He raised his M44 firing several rounds into the downed mercenaries killing them. A Turian standing near the door fire a high velocity round from his shotgun into the counter. Chips of the surface bounced off landing on Taylor. As the Turian reloaded, Sykes charged the door, bull rushing him and firing a round into the Turian and jettisoning him half way across the room. As the corpse being flung across the room distracted the other gunmen, Taylor rose firing a flurry of shots with his M22, giving Sykes enough cover to dive behind the counter next to Taylor. "Fuck me!" He shouted, "They're more stacked than I thought they'd be." "Well they're working with the fuckin' Dark Space lot!" Taylor replied sarcastically. "What'd you think they'd be packin? Bad breath? Feather dusters?. Hold up, I'ma a slap a singularity on these fairies!" He rose up, the biotic field flaring up around him, as the bullets from the thugs deflected on his biotic shield. He lifted his hand using a singularity to lift the thugs into the air. Sykes stood up from behind the counter, firing a round into one of the singularity locked enemies, he then pumped his shotgun, raised it once more and fired again. Taylor then dropped the singularity, allowing the two corpses and the one remaining mercenary to drop to the floor. As he hit, he attempted sprawl for his gun, reaching out for it only to have his hand stepped on by Sykes. The Batarian shouted out in pain and looked up at the Turian. He aimed his weapon at the Batarian and smirked. "Bad idea." Taylor slowly approached and knelt down by the Batarian, picking up a still lit cigar from the ground, "This shit'll kill you know?" He scoffed, before shrugging and jamming the cigar into the Batarian's temple. The Batarian screamed in agony, "THe sand!' he coughed out breathless, "It's in the fireplace!" "Oih shit that was easy" Sykes remarked surprisingly. Taylor got up and walked to the fireplace, removing the gate and retrieving a large case. He popped it open and a red glare shot across his face. "It's all here." "You got what you want now let me go." The Batarian pleaded, only to have Sykes press down harder on his arm. "Not so fast!" Taylor returned to the Batarian and knelt down. "We have slightly more pressing matters at hand here, so I suggest you don't try to squeem out'a here so fast friend." "You got the drugs what else do you want?" the captive pleaded. Taylor sniffled, "You see, You're, you're a pretty worthless cunt right?" Taylor paused for a moment before continuing. "Never mind don't answer that, see here's the deal I'm going to offer you deal, we're gona let you go because, you're a worthless street rat and I don't want the karma of your death on my soul. You let us know your contacts, who supplied you, and where the fuck they are. Or else, well, I'll leave you to the Pirate Queen of Omega, she'll be sure to fillet you slow." He drew his gun and placed it to the Batarian's head. "So fucking spill it 'fore blow your skull off." The Batarian panted for a moment before taking a deep breath. "Okay" he stuttered, only to be interrupted by the sound of a door opening. As if time slowed, Taylor noticed the door opening, a Turian crouched over on the other side with a pistol aimed at Sykes, Taylor raised his simultaneously, a slew of shots followed, and the Turian dropped dead at the door as time caught up again. "Sykes you good?!" Taylor panicked. Sykes stood still, bullet holes in the walls around him and one in his sleeve. "Fuck!" He shouted clearly startled, he aimed his gun back at the Batarian , "The fuck didn't you say someone was in the bathroom?!?!" He then pulled the trigger, scattering the Batarian's head across the ground. Taylor blood across his face now, shot up and shoved his friend, "The fuck mate?! We weren't fucking done with him!" "He almost got me killed!" Sykes replied. Taylor shrugged angrily, and then gazed around at the room. The walls and glass had been shattered through out the apartment, blood and and seperated bodies decorated the floors. "Fuck it, we got the sand, let's gtfo." "Don't gotta tell me twice." The two returned to the hall way and stepped in the elevator, as the doors shut Taylor smarted off, "Eight guys. Not seven." Part Two As the deafening sounds of night society poured out into the levels of Omega, a syndicate of friends did as well, obnoxiously shuffling their way towards Afterlife. "It's not as if it's fuckin' galactic studies man c'mon!?" The Drell at the front of the group shouted out as he walked backwards towards the club. The rest of the men chatted among themselves as well, agreeing with the Drell, as Sykes in the middle shook his. "Look guys" He responded, "I just don't get it!" The group again busted out into a discussion only to broken up by Taylor who pushed his way to the front of the group. "Will you girls quit flirtin!" He joked. "We're not here to discuss Sykes's frail mental for lack of better words." He cleared his throat and grabbed another human by the shoulder and pulled him over. The human was about his height, but bald. "We're here for our good friend Joseph! Who, unfortunately, finally leaves us tomorrow, for the Alliance. So let's all have a good night, not get too knocked, and uh, me and my other good tea-total friend, will make sure we all get through the night in one piece!" The Posse irrupted in a cheer and stormed towards the gates of Afterlife, Taylor, and Joseph following behind. "Final night huh, it's gona be a good one right" Taylor asked. Joseph laughed, "Yeah right, I'm not annihilating the gym with protein farts." "Yeah instead you'll be disrupting the peace with them." The two laughed as they walked up the steps into the club. As the night went on so did the festivities, until waning hours of the evening. As the club came closer to close, many of the patrons left, staggering out into the streets of Omega, inebriated, and drowsy. After some time, all that remained were several employees and customers, Taylor, Joseph, Sykes, and a group of rancid Vorcha playing cards and smoking. The three Talon members sat at their own table, glasses of water in the hands of Taylor and Joseph while numerous cigars, and empty alcohol glasses decorated the area around Sykes. The Turian released a deafening belch causing Joseph to jolt back a little, and as the stench rolled across the face of the two humans he commented, "Shit dude, your mouth smells like your asshole." "what ever..." he mumbled as he stood, pushing his chair underneath the table, "I'm gona, gona go, get some drink." As Sykes stumbled off towards the bar Taylor smirked, "He's going to need a ride home." He paused for a moment, "It sucks you're leavin" He said sorrowfully, "What sucks worse it that you're getting off this dirty ass station and I'm still stuck here." Joseph sat up in his seat and cleared his throat, "well, bro, you could do it too, sign up in with the Alliance. Simple as that!" "It's not that easy. I join the Alliance, I'm signing my life away, I won't be able to choose where I go, what I do. I'm here because Aria promised me she'd help me, find out, you know. About my past." He sipped his water, "That's something the Alliance can't and even if I'm stuck here for a few more years fighting thugs and drug addicts, I'd still be closer to finding answers than I would be fighting wars." His expression changed to the look of hopeless for a moment, "The thing is, the longer I'm here, the more I feel like this place is just, absorbing me, like, I'm becoming part of Omega. I'm sick of it. Ever day, I see the same shit, drug deals, homeless people being mugged in the street, petty crime...it never changes." Joseph took a moment and leaned back in his chair, "You there's no such thing as never man." He uttered, "I mean yeah, Omega is a black hole, it will never change, but you, you can change your life." He emphasized, "You don't owe loyalty to Aria, or the Talons, what'd they do? Bring you into a gang war? That's fuck it man." Taylor remained quite for a moment and looked over at Syke's at the bar, arguing with bartender. "Well, I owe one person that loyalty. For getting me off the streets out here." "I suppose" Joseph agreed, he stood up onto his feet and pushed in his chair, "I'm out man, I gotta get in before it's too late." He outstretched his hand to Taylor. The other rose, and grasped his friends, "Good luck man, maybe we'll see each other again some day." Joseph smiled and shook his head, "Hopefully, it'd mean you got off this shit hole." He let go of Taylor's hand and tossed some credits on the table, then glanced back at the Vorcha behind them. "Have fun with the shit pack back there." He swung around and headed for the exit. Taylor dropped back down into his seat and watched as his friend walked away, it was a daunting experience for him, in that moment, seeing how easy his friend could escape Omega, while Taylor's own misguided sense of duty kept him there. The stench and jabber produced by the Vorcha behind him, snapped him back to reality. He looked back at them, empty alcohol cups laid around the edge of the table, and numerous lit, and burnt out cigars decorated it as well. One of the Vorcha repeatedly jumped onto the table every time he had to throw down his cards. He quickly looked for another activity to consume his time, and focused on his friends Sykes. Seeing him entangled at the bar, he decided to make his way to one of the clubs decks hanging over the hull of the city-station. The human approached the guardrail, looking out at the skyline of Omega. Even this late at night, hundreds of sky cars could be seen, a long with numerous fires in the station, and the jumbled sounds of parties and suffering. He began to space off again, before the subtle voice of a female interrupted his state of mind. "Why so glum human?" the voice said. Taylor looked over to his left to see an Asari, furnished in a showy semi-short red dress approaching him, and for a moment he was taken aback by her bloom, before he regained his demeanor and opened his mouth with a sarcastic yet confident tone to his voice "Glum? I'm just enjoying the serene beauty of Omega." The Asari laughed as she approached him and leaned over the same railing he was perched against. "Funny and cute, good qualities." Taylor smirked, "Don't joke with me miss" He coyed. "If by funny and cute you mean lame and gawky than you'd be dead on. You seem quite elegant to be in a place like this around begrimed folks like myself." "Oh you can flirt too, and you seem more intelligent than the lot of this station." Taylor turned around, leaning his back against the rail, "Well intelligent yes, flirtatious however?" He questioned as he looked up as if he was thinking, "I don't know how to flirt, I just make jokes and buy you drinks. " He paused, "Speaking of which, can I get you a drink?" He asked with a jolly smirk. She chuckled again, "Maybe in a little" she said as she raised her already filled glass and took a sip. "I'm here on business by the way, as an answer to your question." "Business?" Taylor pondered, "What kind if you don't mind me asking." She smiled with a cheeky manner on her face, "Oh I do not mind at all. I'm looking for something." Back inside the club, Sykes was still at the bar, drowning himself in more drinks. The bar tender laid down a glass, filled with green beverage and what appeared to be tropical-like fruit inside of the drink, and raising several inches at the glass. Sykes, in his drunkin state looked up at the bar tender. "What the fuck is this?" he asked. "It's a drink, you said you wanted somethin' new." The bartender sternly answered. "I said I wanted a fucking NEW refreshing drinks." He looked at the drink and flicked the glass. "Not a rainforest, you could fall in love with a fuckin' Xiorla in there." The bar tender shook his head and walked off. The racket of a large Krogan approaching rang in Sykes's ears and he looked over just in time to see a Krogan plop in the seat next to him. "You Turian's eat shit anyways." Sykes laughed, "And you Krogans look like shit." He countered. "How'd your big ass get through the door?" "Ah funny, mouthing off to a Krogan, you've got stones Turian." He slapped his fist down and nodded at the bar tender for a drink. "Put your money where your alcohol is!" Sykes looked at the bartender as well and nodded, "You challenging the biggest alcoholic on Omega to a drinking contest. I don't care what race you are...you're losing my friend." The bartender brought back two drinks and laid them down. The two looked at each other and reached for their drinks. Outside on the deck Taylor was continuing his conversation with Asari. "Well, you don't mind talking about why you're here, but you won't go farther than telling me what it is you're looking for." He asked. "That my dear, I'm afraid is on a need to know basis." She replied. "Tell me about yourself, what's your name human?" "Taylor. Taylor McClellan." "Oh well, mister McClellan, where are you from?" the Asari questioned "Omega" Taylor uttered. The Asari adorned a curious look on her face," Just Omega? Born here? Bred Here?" "Yep" he leaked out in a short answer. "What about you?" She smiled, "My name is Iyra, I'm from Thessia." "Ah the center of Asari culture" He remarked, "And the element zero capital of the galaxy. Which city?" "Cita, well right outside in the country." She smirked, "You seem to know quite a bit for a standard Omega citizen." She thought to herself for a moment, sensing something strange about the human. "It's strange that you've lived on Omega your whole life but you seem soo, educated." "What? People from Omega can't be educated?" She garnished a serious face, "Not suggesting that, just that it's rare. Do you have family that lives here?" "No" He answered once again abruptly. "Maybe I just went to a university here." "Well you and I both know there are none on Omega, Taylor." Taylor stared at her, "I know." "How'd you get here?" She asked. Taylor looked at his watched and flared his forehead wrinkles at Iyra, "I think it's time for me to leave, have a good night, Miss Iyra." He turned around and headed back inside the club, Iyra watched as he walked off, focused on him, and appearing deep in thought. Taylor walked inside, and he thought to himself about the peculiar questions the Asari was asking him, it almost made his skin crawl, as if she was there to look for him. Taylor walked up to the bar, where Sykes and the Turian had numerous empty drinks around them. He tapped his Turian friend on the shoulder, "Ay bud, we gotta go, tell your new friend bye." He began to make his way out of the club. Sykes sighed, and looked at the Krogan, "well, bud, I'll see you later." He slapped the Krogan's back, "Names Sykes, good makin friends with a Krogan who's seems kind a' smart." He said with a drunken chuckle. The Krogan laughed, "Indeed, the names Mourin friend." Sykes smiled and stumbled off following his human friend. Iyra walked inside the bar just seconds after. She approached the Krogan, "Come on Mourin" She demanded, "I found the man." Mourin stood up and shook his body, regaining a sober composer to himself. "Right behind you." The two made their way out of the bar and down into the slums of Omega. As they crept down an alley, Iyra's allure drew the attention of several Batarian thugs, but they were quickly dissuaded by her Krogan body guard. The eventually entered an old run down apartment complex, reaching one of the final apartment doors at the end of a hallway. She knocked on the door, and the view hole slid open, and a pair of large Drell eyes stared back at her. The door swung open and her and Mourin walked inside, and the Drell closed the door behind them. "Your late" said an almost geeky voice from the corner of the room. A Salarian sat there, in perched in a busted metal chair, reading a paper. "Omega can be a dangerous place Miss Aldonia." "Can it Orian." She ordered, "I had Mourin with me, and you're daft if you think anyone would come after me with a Krogan by my side. Beside, I found him." The Salarian looked up, as did the Drell and a second Salarian in the room. "17, you found him are you positive?" "I'm pretty sure." "We've been here for weeks and I've had no solid leads, but you find him just like that?" He wondered. Iyra laughed, "Orian, you're not an investigation specialist, you're a mercenary, leave the people work up to me." She poured herself a drink and sat down. "I'm almost certain it's him, don't question me, you're job is to follow me." The Salarian sighed, and Iyra looked over at the Drell and the other Salarian. "Vispis, Yavi, keep an eye on Afterlife, you'll be looking for a human, average height with blonde hair and a blonde beard, younger, and he'll more than likely be in the presence of Talon members, got it?" The two nodded. "What ever we do, we can't spook him, after all, we're not the only ones after this boy." Part Three Appearances *Characters **Taylor McClellan **Sykes Wiam **Joseph Wolfe **Iyra Aldonia **Attar Mourin **Orian Burrugh **Vispis Tye **Yavi Korren *Organizations **Talons **Dark Space Mercenary Company **Shadow Broker Agency *Locations **Omega *Weapons **MS-22 Heavy Pistol **M44 AM Shotgun *Other Trivia Category:COSG Category:Articles by WolfOfTheEast Category:WolfOfTheEast Category:Stories Category:Chapters Category:Chronicles of a Silent Galaxy